T cell responses in acute falciparum malaria.
T lymphocyte responses to malaria-specific antigens during acute falciparum malaria were studied to determine host-parasite interaction and its relation to the manifestations of the disease. The results indicate that while there is antigen-specific immunodepression, markedly elevated levels of soluble factors such as IL2 receptor, CD8 antigen and IFN-gamma suggest that there is intense concurrent cellular activation which however does not seem to be effective in controlling the infection. It is proposed that the cellular activation is to a large extent non-specific and polyclonal, and leads to the exaggerated production of cytokines and eventually immunopathology. Various mechanisms of immunodepression are discussed.
Ho
M
M
Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand.
Webster
H K
HK
D000208:Acute Disease; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D006790:Host-Parasite Interactions / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology*; D008954:Models, Biological; D010963:Plasmodium falciparum / Q000276:immunology*; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology